Page 11 of Don't Call Me Sweetheart (Something Borrowed 1)

“Fair enough.” He took another tentative drink, afraid she was going to say something to make him laugh again. When she didn’t, he picked up the conversation. “So what do you do?”

“I’m a wedding consultant.”

“Like a planner or something?”

“Yeah. How about you?” she asked.

“I’m a cop. SWAT officer.”

Marley froze, her coffee cup resting just before her mouth. “A cop in L.A. That’s a pretty dangerous job, isn’t it?”

“No more than any other big city. I was in New York prior to that, and Afghanistan for four years straight out of high school.”

Her frown deepened and he wondered if she was going to hold his job against him. “Were you in the military?”

“The Marines.”

For whatever reason, she didn’t seem as impressed by his professional history as some women were.

“So, are you a thrill seeker or do you pick these kind of jobs because you genuinely want to help people?” she asked.

Luke had never been asked anything like that and for a half a second, he wasn’t sure whether he should be offended. Trivializing his work…that was a bold move.

“I guess it started out as a way to get out from under my father’s thumb and from there I just…I wanted to make things better. To protect people.”

Marley nodded, and he wanted to ask what that meant, but their food arrived. As they dived in, Luke asked, “Did you always want to consult on weddings?”

“No, not at all. I’m trying to get out of here and go to New York, get a job in publishing. I want to be a book editor.”

“Yeah?” Luke studied her, a slow smile creeping across his face. “I don’t know. I can’t picture you in New York.”

“Why not?”

“Because you look like you should be chasing butterflies through a meadow.” He caught the shadow that fell over her face and quickly added, “I just mean that you have a soft, happy look about you. It’s a nice quality. New Yorkers are tough as nails.”

“Yeah, if that was supposed to make things better, it’s not working. I’m stronger than I look.”

Luke felt his ears and neck warm. “Sorry, sometimes I put my foot in my mouth and it’s too big to pull out. New York would be lucky to have you.”

A slow teasing smile split her lush red lips and he relaxed.

“That’s better.”

Chapter 4

Besides that slightly awkward chat about New York, Marley was enjoying herself. Luke was funny, charming, and nice to look at. Of course, as attracted to him as she was, it could never be anything more than a little fun. He lived in L.A. She was moving to New York. And then there was his job…

Not that she didn’t think being a police officer was noble, but it was also dangerous. She’d already lost two people she loved: her father, when she was eight and Beth was four. Her parents had been coming back from Jackson, and been hit by a drunk driver. Her mom had been wearing her seat belt but dad had always been bad about that. She hated the fact that something so simple might have saved his life.

When they lost Beth eight years ago, Marley had cut people out, withdrawn into herself for months, and if it hadn’t been for her mom, she wasn’t sure she would have survived the pain.

There was no way she’d ever get serious about a guy who put on body armor and busted down people’s doors in a hail of bullets. She couldn’t go through loving and losing someone like that again.

Okay, so she watched too many action films. Didn’t mean it changed the score. Luke was a distraction; she could enjoy him

, but she didn’t need to get attached.

He stood up and put several bills on the table, jarring her from her melancholy.